The number 1 newbie mistake

When you start out in this game, you know best.

Those isolation concentration curls are going to get your 11" guns to 22" Olympia worthy monsters within a year. Those lateral raises with 2.5kg dumbbells are going to make your shoulders broad as can be. That beer gut? By steadily increasing from 50 to 1000 crunches a day you're going to get an 8 pack that puts Lazar Angelov to shame.

My own opinion? Your worst coach is yourself.

Sadly these misconceptions of nearly every newbie trainee is one of the main reasons why there is a significant lack of progression in gyms around the world. It's also why nearly every routine put together by someone new to the game is a butchered mess of isolation work that will give just that, newbie gains and nothing more. There are several things which I have found to stand out though -

• “If I'm not sore the next day I don't feel like I've had a good workout”

DOMS (Delayed onset of muscle soreness) is not associated with progress, nor do you have to wait until the soreness subsides before you work out again. As long as weight is being added to the bar every work out, you are making progress. This is the number one factor, not soreness, the sooner people understand this the sooner they will start making gains. If you are so sore that you can't raise your arms above your head the next day, you are just an idiot.

• Ridiculous amounts of volume, less is more in this game

It takes a lot for a newbie to exhaust their CNS (Central nervous system) to the point it can't recover, but it has been done (look up the dreamer bulk story if you're curious). Not only will this kill any kind of progression, but it's brought upon you by a ridiculous amount of isolation work. This isolation volume is not only counterproductive for a newbie lifter, but it's also a complete waste of their time. What kind of hypertrophy do you think you will get by lateral raising 5kg dumbbells with poor form? Very little compared to the guys who can bang out 12kg's with perfect form for much higher amounts of volume, why can they do this? They have achieved a decent level of strength (through whatever manner) already.

• Lack of compound exercises (big multi joint movements, bench/squat/deadlift etc.)

Most people new to lifting have poor coordination when it comes to handling a barbell, look at the bench press of someone who has never benched before and you'll see exactly what I mean. The compound exercises not only contribute to strength/hypertrophy in a far more meaningful way to any newbie than any kind of isolation centric routine, but they also teach coordination of the muscles so that they work together as intended. Someone on a diet of leg extensions and leg press may have the strength to squat reasonably heavy, but their balance, coordination and general movement pattern will be all over the place if they have never squatted before. I know these movements are hard, I know your average personal trainer won't advise you to do any of this, because squatting on a bosu ball with pink 2kg dumbbells is the new thing, but this and the things mentioned above are associated with one STRONG correlation between them -

LACK OF GAINS

The issue when you start out is, the internet is at your fingers, there's a wealth of misinformation out there. So not only do you create a butchered routine, you most likely switch it up to another one every couple of weeks because you don't get the progress you're looking for. This goes on until you either discover the light and find something that works, decipher the bioscience of the internet, or give up and go back to drinking beer and watching ludicrous displays down t'pub in your gym time.

The prime reasons for enrolling a coach -

• You are your own worst critique, selfbias is natural and unavoidable, in your eyes, you are a contender for the next Mr Olympia title before you've even set foot in the gym. You are not a special flower, the same rules that apply to everyone sure as hell apply to you too. An honest coach can give you a no bullshit opinion and also a suitable routine for your level of progression. This may be gaining strength as a newbie or fixing a weak point. These things are nearly impossible to decipher for yourself without a second opinion.

• A newbie lifter will benefit the most from a routine made up almost entirely of compound exercises, isolation work should not even come into the equation at this point. Routines such as starting strength are great, as is the book (probably the closest thing you'll get to a coach in text) for learning how to do the exercises. However, learning to do these compound exercises correctly by yourself takes time. A coach can teach you the exercises within a few sessions at max, experience is invaluable as is a keen eye to correct mistakes. This is also the reason many people film their lifts and post to youtube for critique.

A new lifter is in a prime position to make incredible strength gains, one of our clients was able to increase his squat from 20kg to 60kg within 3 weeks by using a nice simple compound based routine. Myself? I think I did that in about 6 months when I had my self designed routine taken out of a book with a few 'intelligent' additions to the program and about 10 times as many exercises. My own opinion on isolation work is that you should have achieved a 1RM of at least 0.8xBW Bench, 1xBW Squat, 1.2xBW Deadlift before any of this even becomes considerable to add to your program, even at those levels of strength there is still PLENTY of room for linear progression before any kind of assistance work is needed.

My current routines are produced through the critique of several people and my progression is faster now than it ever was as a newbie, this in spite of newbie gains being the best time to make gains. They're also still very much based around compound exercises, rather than a butchered routine that attempted to increase the weight on everything every workout with about 20 different isolation exercises per body part. If anyone considering lifting weights reads this, please search for a good, experienced, coach, or at the very least hunt down a copy of the Starting Strength book, the cost will be well worth the increase in progress and the time saved!

Ripptoe, M. and Kilgore, L. (2010) Practical Programming for Strength Training. 2^nd Edn. Aasgard Company

5 things you wish you knew when you started benching

Simple movement they said, push the bar away from your chest they said, let me help you by rowing the bar up they said. The bench press is by far the most popular and most butchered (often to the extent of not even being a bench press anymore) movement in any gym.

Here are 5 little things that could clean up your form or break a small plateau -

LOOK AT A SET POINT IN THE CEILING

PURPOSE – FIXES YOUR BAR PATH

Everyone has seen a bar path that shakes like someone high on amphetamines, by staring at a fixed point in the ceiling your bar path will automatically guide the bar back to the point where it was at the start of the motion. People have a tendency to watch the bar as it goes up and down, this is bad not only because it distracts your focus but by overthinking the bar path, that's what sets it on an inefficient pat in the first place.

PULL THE BAR APART

PURPOSE – MORE TRICEP INVOLVEMENT AND STABILITY

When the bar is gripped tight and you attempt to pull it apart (obviously nothing is going to happen unless you're the hulk). Not only does this involve more triceps, but this will also engage the lats and increase your general levels of stability. Which brings me on to the next point!

THE BENCH IS ABOUT STABILITY

PURPOSE – LIFT MORE WEIGHT

The number one issue with people plateauing in the bench press is technique, the technique being down to a lack of stability. I've experienced it myself and also corrected it for numerous people. Your feet should be firmly on the floor and locked in place, your glutes should be tensed creating a firm base for leg drive. Your scapula should be driven INTO the bench to the point it hurts creating a solid upper back to push from. Your whole body should be tight and not move until the set is finished! Make sure you find a comfortable way to setup and reinforce this technique every time you bench, everyone is different in this aspect. Some like to set their feet first, some like to set their back first, it's down to the individual, the end result must be the same though – tightness throughout.

People arching/moving their feet around/their asses coming off the bench, it all comes down to poor technique and a lack of stability. Another thing to note is that a lot of those come with trying to lift too much weight.

DO A FULL ROM

PURPOSE – EFFICIENCY

If the weight you're benching doubles, yet the range of movement decreases by 50%, you're still lifting the same weight as you were when you started (ignoring the biomechanical differences of different parts of the ROM). If you can't do a full ROM bench press without a spotter rowing the weight, then reduce the weight until you can. A 2 man team of rower and pusher is not a bench press. People who say they bench '350' yet look like they can't handle 135 is simply because they can't handle 135, the other chuckle brother just has a strong back. This is not only unsafe but it makes you look like a prat trying to lift too much weight (nothing wrong with failing and getting stuck under the bar however on an honest set).

IMAGINE PUSHING YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE BAR

PURPOSE – PSYCHOLOGICALLY MAKES IT EASIER

The brain often limits you far more than your actual muscles do simply to prevent you injuring yourself. This can be overcome by adrenaline or simple psychological cues like the one above. By thinking of the bench press as pushing yourself away from the bar, the perceived weight may be less which will make it feel 'easier'.

Try implementing these and see if they help! Don't forget to check out our Facebook & Twitter pages.

10 reasons why you should be squatting!

At your local gym, there's most likely a rack. It's probably a bit dusty and lonely from the lack of use. Occasionally some bros will curl in it.

These are sad times. With the current obsession with functional training, functional being balancing on a bosu ball and doing pump and squeeze curls with 4kg dumbbells to really tax your 'core', it is a tragedy that a far more effective and legitimately functional exercise is often forgotten in most commercial gyms. Ladies (because men would already know this), I present to you. THE SQUAT!

Here are 10 reasons why you should never forgo the squat being an integral part of any workout program!

1. AESTHETICS DON'T BEGIN AT THE WAIST UP

Human aesthetics, like most things, can be governed by maths. We call it, 'the golden ratio'. The golden ratio dictates the proportions of the human body that are most aesthetically pleasing and is what artists and sculptors have used to create their works. To this day it is even used by medical staff for body reconstruction. The golden ratio is why an X shaped physique for men (not a V on pencils) and an hourglass shaped physique for women are the most desirable physiques.

This ratio is normally 1:1.618 and this appears all over your body, by far the most visible one is shoulder to waist, or 'v-taper' as it's known. What does this have to do with squats? For the golden ratio to apply to your legs, we compare the size of your knee bone to your thigh. The thigh should be 175% of the knee bone diameter. This alone should be enough of a reason for you to give up on the notion of fitting into your sister's skinny jeans.

2. SQUATTING IS ONE OF THE MOST PRIMITIVE MOVEMENTS KNOWN TO MAN

Since the dawn of time squatting has been one of the most natural movements for humans, to lift, to grab, to sit on the toilet, it's a natural movement that you do every single day. Having a weak posterior chain (the muscles responsible for squatting) is a great way to injure yourself later in life. Not only are hip based injuries incredibly common in the elderly, it could all be prevented by a healthy diet of squats. An interesting and related note is that heavy weight training is a great aid for preventing an early onset of osteoporosis from the increased bone density.

3. SQUATTING TRAINS THE WHOLE BODY

“I just want big arms man, chest and bis all day ery' day"

In reference to the golden ratio above, not only do you look ridiculous with the legs of an emaciated chicken, but squats train the whole body. Under a heavy squat there is not one muscle in the entire body that is not under tension maintaining stability.

4. ONE OF THE FEW EXERCISES THAT YOU CANNOT EVER SUBSTITUTE WITH MACHINES

Yes leg press is easier, yes leg curls may make you 'feel' it more in your quads. But neither of these train the entire posterior chain in quite the same way that squats do. Not only do these isolation movements take individual muscles out of the kinetic chain, they also train them in ways that they're not intended to be used. It would also take a good 6-10 machines depending on how well equipped your gym is to even isolate the amount of muscles that a squat recruits. Think of it like a football team that had never played together vs one that practices together the whole time, the one that plays together will have a huge advantage in both coordination and functionality!

5. “That big guy over there doesn't squat”
   
   

   

6. IT'S EFFICIENT

In point 4 I mentioned that you would need 6-10 machines to replicate the squat, this is incredibly time consuming over doing a few sets of squats. There is also the fact that in this day and age of bosu ball curls and endless variations of crunches, we're missing one of the most functional and useful exercises for core stability. Nothing builds a good set of abdominal/lumbar musculature like heavy squats and nothing more so in a functional way to operate under a compressive load. So ditch the 15 mins of crunch variations and get squatting.

7. YOUR GENERAL FITNESS ACROSS THE BOARD WILL IMPROVE!

A stronger muscle can produce more force, this means that basic movements such as running use far less of your maximal effort. This in turn leads to a large increase in performance correlating with the strength of your legs. The muscles that benefit from squatting make this applicable to pretty much every sport under the sun.

8. MENTAL DETERMINATION

To squat close to your maximum, it requires a certain amount of mental will power, a bit of emotion and perhaps a bit of insanity. Squats are difficult, people don't like doing difficult things, pushing through difficult things not only teaches you work ethic but it also carries over into many aspects of life. I mean, why do squats when you can just go to the gym, do your curls and leave just as skinny and unimpressive as you were when you came in?

9. IT WILL BENEFIT EVERY OTHER LIFT, EVEN YOUR BENCH PRESS

Your legs make up 50% of your body. Movements such as bench press and overhead press largely rely on stability for maximal force production (and the biggest weights lifted). If HALF, note, the half that often gets 1 day a week of training from the people who actually bother to train it, the half that gets ignored by the large majority of trainees. Yes if HALF of your body is small, weak and untrained, then half of your body is not going to be anywhere near as stable as it should be. This will limit your stability and limit your lifts regardless of how strong your upper body is.

10. IT TURNS HEADS AND LOOKS BADASS TO SQUAT HEAVY

If the rack is in use by team brocurl

Now get squatting!